Gene Goenner is a technical dairy expert with Alltech. Below is an edited transcript of his recorded comments on optimizing feedstuffs. 

Watch the full video here:

I want to talk to you a little bit today about feedstuffs: in particular, different ingredients and total mixed rations. We know that a herd’s diet is made up of multiple ingredients. For example, when we have a grain mix, a nutritionist is going to add up to 30 different ingredients that will mix together into a balanced diet for the animal.

A cow at a high production level is going to have the ability to consume approximately 50–60 pounds of the feedstuff a day. She has an outstanding ability for taste and smell, much better than we as humans have, so we are balancing this diet with all of these different ingredients to create a diet that is not only nutritionally balanced, but also palatable.

Maximize performance

When nutritionists look at a diet, we try to figure out the cow’s production level. This includes her milking performance, her reproduction performance and maximizing her overall health. Making a high-quality, balanced diet for a healthy animal will help her to perform, do well on a farm and be profitable for the producer.

TMRs

One of the problems we have when feeding a ration is that we include feed ingredients that animals prefer, and they will sort through to find individual ingredients. So, what we do to avoid that is running the feedstuff through a mixer to make what we call a TMR (total mixed ration), in which we combine all these ingredients together into one diet. We do that to create uniformity and to keep these cows consuming their diet consistently. Cows are great at finding the feedstuff that is more palatable to them and will look for that “goodie” or that “candy” in their diet.

It is crucially important to have the feedstuff in the TMR mixed effectively to maintain performance levels at high volumes and uphold good health.

Have a question or comment?

Eating our way to improved intestinal balance and health

Unless you are suffering from an intestinal upset or are cleaning up the mess associated with an intestinal upset in your pets, you probably don’t often think about the health of the microbial population that inhabits your or your pet’s gastrointestinal tract (GI tract). However, over the last decade, it has become increasingly clear that the complex community of microorganisms residing in the GI tract not only influences digestive processes but also significantly impacts long-term and short-term health.

For optimum well-being, it is important to maintain an appropriate balance in the intestinal microflora. But what is that balance, and how we do we support it?

Nutrition strategies for a balanced GI tract

With the realization of the importance of microflora have come new nutritional strategies that influence microbial balance. Many are based on simple supplementation or diet changes, but their effects can be profound. These approaches are revolutionizing not only the way we view our gastrointestinal health, but also that of our animal companions.

Digestive aids that include specific feed ingredients, exogenous enzymes, probiotics, organic acids and plant-derived oils can be coupled with nutritional management practices to beneficially manipulate intestinal microbial populations. One of the most successful documented uses has been supplementation with small doses of yeast-based polysaccharides (prebiotic fibers) to influence the composition of the gastrointestinal microbial population.

We know that these supplementation strategies not only limit the proliferation of detrimental bacteria and pathogens, but are also associated with improved immune function and nutrient absorption. These approaches allow us to eat our way to improved health, but how exactly they work had not been understood…until recently.

Feeding the good microbes: The science behind the nutrition revolution

A nutritional revolution is at hand, with new tools for reliably demonstrating and predicting how dietary and supplementation approaches can influence the intestinal microflora and gastrointestinal health.

Detailed nucleic acid sequencing techniques now allow for an in-depth description of the composition, profile and function of the most beneficial microbial populations in the intestinal tract. It is now possible to clearly pinpoint the effects of nutrition on the critical components of these complex populations and to determine the most effective balance of intestinal gut microbes. Rather than focusing on individual types of microorganisms, these techniques allow us to identify the optimal microbial populations that promote good intestinal health. This clarity takes the guess work out of diet formulation and can strategically improve health, from the most minuscule gut microbes to overall well-being.

I want to learn more about pet nutrition.

The pre-weaning growth of a dairy calf is a powerful predictor of long-term productivity and profitability. However, diarrhea is one of the most common antagonists resulting in poor digestion and less than optimal weight gain in calves.

A unique product derived from a selected strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been shown to enhance performance, including intake, growth and overall health, by improving gut health and digestive function.

A recent meta-analysis conducted by Dr. Anna Catharina Berge of Berge Veterinary Consulting BVBA has put Alltech’s product, Bio-Mos®, to the test.

Berge’s trials revealed that pre-weaned dairy calves fed Bio-Mos in milk or milk replacer had significantly improved average daily gain by an estimated 0.14 pounds per head per day, which corresponds to an 8.37-pound higher weight on average for calves weaned at two months of age. The long-term improved performance in heifers with enhanced pre-weaning growth would be equivalent to 220 pounds more milk in the first lactation!

“The results are a significant improvement in average daily weight gain,” said Aidan Connolly, chief innovation officer and vice president of corporate accounts at Alltech. “This improvement leads to greater returns for the producer through enhanced milk production, health and development, and long-term productivity.”

The meta-analysis included 23 cohort studies performed in the U.S.A., the United Kingdom, Brazil, Chile, the Czech Republic, India, Japan, Peru, Poland, Spain and Turkey between 1993 and 2012. Bio-Mos was supplemented from 2–10 grams per day, with an average inclusion of 3.8 grams per day. Twenty-one of the studies reported an increase in daily weight gain for calves fed Bio-Mos in milk or milk replacer compared to control calves.

As new restrictions come into play on antibiotic use, producers across the globe are beginning to take a closer look at natural approaches to improve animal health and performance. Choosing an alternative that is backed by substantial research is a sure bet for a smart start on any dairy operation.

For more information on Bio-Mos, visit http://alltech.com/bio-mos.

There is no doubt that corn silage, barley silage and alfalfa haylage are the major fermented forages supporting the dairy industry in Canada and the US. Any variation in the nutrient composition and digestibility of these forages will therefore directly affect a producer’s ability to meet their dairy cows' nutrient requirements throughout the year.

In other words, a good understanding of the nutritive value of your fermented forages will allow you to develop a nutrition program that helps your cows reach their true genetic potential for milk production and health.

More nutrients for the cow, more dollars in your pocket

Over the last few years, nutritionists and dairy producers have been paying special attention to the nutritive value of fermented forages. It is now widely acknowledged that this nutritional concept can positively impact animal productivity and producer profitability. The performance of the modern dairy cow is highly dependent upon the adequate levels and favorable balances of nutrients in the fermented forages they consume.

It is an oversimplification to define the nutritive value of fermented forages purely as the ability to supply the nutrients present in the dry matter to the cow. Before nutrients can reach their target tissue in the cow, the feed must be consumed (feed intake) and the nutrients in the forage must be released and absorbed by the cow (digestion).

When it comes to digestion, fermentable forages are a step ahead

Many factors influence the nutritive value of fermentable forages, including forage cultivar, stage of maturity at harvest and storage methods. In contrast to non-fermentable forages, the digestion of fermentable forage begins long before it is added to the feed bunk.

During normal ensiling processes, some nutrients ferment, releasing molecules that make the crop more palatable and easier to digest. Under these conditions, the nutrients have a better chance of being ingested and absorbed.

Practically speaking, this fermentable forage has an optimum nutritive value. In commercial dairy herds, this forage will result in high milk yield and milk components, leading to excellent reproductive performance and good health.

Test your forage to see how it measures up

Usually, producers and nutritionists send forage samples to a lab in order to obtain information on the nutritional composition of the fermented forages. However, this information can come up short in terms of allowing producers to understand how available these nutrients are to the cow.

Fortunately, methods such as Alltech’s In vitro Fermentation Model have been developed to efficiently and quickly determine the nutrient availability in these forages, including the neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD), or the organic matter digestibility. Results from these tests are positively correlated with potential intake. When this information is analyzed as a whole, producers can get a good idea of the nutritive value of their fermented forage.

In Ontario and Quebec, a recent survey carried out on 47 fermented forages indicated that over 84 percent of the forage samples collected showed NDFD (at 30 hours in vitro) values below 52 percent, suggesting poor nutritive value. Therefore, it is important not to assume that your forages have a good nutritive value. To assure herd performance, testing is a must.

Reviewing the nutritive value of the fermented forages used in any feeding program is essential to help your dairy herd reach its maximum genetic potential and is an integral part of dairy farming profitability.

To improve the overall health of birds, attention needs to be placed on the whole production system. Healthy animals are much more likely to perform at their potential and produce more efficiently.

The gastrointestinal tract of layers is an ecosystem in which water, pH and bacteria need to be in balance. Setting the stage for this balance soon after hatch and maintaining it throughout the life of the animal is the key to maximizing performance and farm profitability.

Digestion in an increasingly plant-based diet

The diet for the bird must be made so that it is quickly digested and, in the case of layers, eventually turned into the building blocks of eggs. Yet, today, consumer demands for all-veggie diets complicate efforts to design an easily digestible diet. The grains used to make up the energy and protein in the diet will only release a portion of nutrients after digestion. The rest of the nutrients are bound in the plant cells and can only be released if these plant cells are broken down.

Enzymes added to the diet can help to break down these plant cells and allow the grains to release more nutrients to the bird. Generally, enzymes work in a “lock and key” model, in which a specific enzyme can only help to break down a specific compound. Because a poultry diet is complex, more than one enzyme may be needed to help with this breakdown.

Preventing bacterial overgrowth

How efficiently the feed is digested and absorbed by the bird can affect the bacterial balance in the gastrointestinal tract. Efficient breakdown and absorption of the feed by the bird can reduce the amount of undigested nutrients that reach the lower gut, where a diverse microbial population is concentrated.

This is important because, by reducing the undigested nutrients entering the lower gut, we reduce the potential of an environment to be created that supports opportunistic (potentially bad) bacterial overgrowth. Consequently, reducing the undigested nutrients reaching the lower gut helps to improve overall poultry health and performance.

Ancient process meets advanced technology

Nutritional technologies are available that can support this breakdown of nutrients. Through an ancient process called solid state fermentation (SSF), a selected strain of non-GMO Aspergillus niger works in synergy with the animal’s digestive system to break down layers of the feed that were previously inaccessible through digestion. This exposes more nutrient-rich layers for the animal to digest, such as amino acids, energy, protein and vitamins.

Advances in genetics have made today’s poultry more productive than ever. Any bird under environmental stress due to heat, cold, very dry or very humid air could have their feed intake patterns and intestinal tract affected, causing reduced digestibility. However, by paying close attention to the entire management system and to nutrition, poultry growers can respond quickly to challenges and achieve optimal potential.

To learn more about how Allzyme® SSF can help maintain performance in your flock and reduce feed costs while adding flexibility to the diet, click here or contact us at AllzymeSSF@alltech.com.

In “The corn conundrum,” we looked at some of the causes of the dreaded “fall slump.” Now we will look at some of the ways to prevent the slump as well as tools to help diagnose it.

Dry matter at harvest

We all know the importance of proper dry matter at harvest. Checking whole plant dry matter for each field is a good first step to having the correct dry matter at harvest.

Chopping too early can lower the starch content of the corn silage and impede fermentation, which can also contribute to the environmental issue of leachate. On the other hand, chopping too late (>40 percent dry matter) can lead to a separate set of problems, such as mycotoxins, poor fermentation, yeast production, decreased starch digestibility and a longer window for total starch digestion.

If we monitor the seven-hour starch digestibility and ammonia levels of fresh corn silage, it can tell us a lot about how the corn is fermenting. Typically, fall corn silage will be low in both the seven-hour starch and ammonia. As the silage ferments over 240 days, the ammonia levels rise and the starch digestibility increases.

Silage inoculants and crop quality

We know that inoculants can speed up fermentation and lower pH, thus saving energy for the cow. Inoculants enable us to get into the piles, bags, bunkers and silos even faster than before.

Future outlook is strong is this area. Work is being done on combinations of inoculants and enzymes to assist in both starch digestion and fiber digestion, which will serve to further our efficiencies.

Inoculants can cater to front end fermentation or feed out protection. Cater your inoculant to your individual situation.

Inoculants coupled with a quality mold inhibitor can be the ultimate line of defense against molds, top spoilage and stability issues. Mold-Zap®, a buffered propionic acid, has been the gold standard in alleviating seasonal total mixed ration heating, but very keen dairymen also use it for preventing top spoilage in bunkers, drive over piles and on silage faces.

Corn Silage Processing Score

Shredlage, a new corn harvesting method for silage, is gaining acceptance. Most importantly, shredlage processing has led to a renewed interest in proper corn silage kernel processing with the choppers many producers already have. With proper corn silage processing, the kernels can be processed down to the new standard of ¼” kernels.

The Corn Silage Processing Score (CSPS) is a great testing tool that is run at virtually all the forage labs in the U.S. because it will assess how well the corn silage has been processed. A Corn Silage Processing Score in the 40–60 percent range is common in unprocessed corn silage and can equate to lost milk. Setting a goal of achieving a processing score above 70 percent will help you reduce the corn silage slump and the impacts it has on your herd.

Before we get CSPS numbers back, is there another way to know if we are correctly processing the corn silage? A new technique involving “floating” fresh corn silage is getting some attention, and it’s easy to find articles and images of the procedure online. The process is very simple and can be accomplished in the field, right at the chopper, but you will need a sample of fresh corn silage, a 5-gallon bucket and some water.

1. Fill the 5-gallon bucket three-quarters full with water.
2. Take a 32-ounce cup of fresh corn silage and pour it into the bucket of water.
3. Stir it around for a few minutes.
4. Sift out the fiber particles that float to the top.
5. Dump the water and be sure to save the kernels.
6. Inspect the kernels to ensure that most of the kernels are quartered. The old concept of “nicked” kernels being sufficient is now antiquated advice.

Monitor the back end

It is a dirty job, but someone really does have to do it. Manure can tell you a lot about how things are working inside the cow.

It’s worthwhile to consider a couple of tools that have been around for a few years.

The Penn State Particle Separator has been used for years to monitor fiber levels in the diet. The particle separator’s “messy” cousin, the manure screen, can tell you just as much, if not more. The true value of manure screening is monitoring over time and with ration changes. With the transition to new crop corn silage, you can see the impact of the new feed. Many times with new crop corn silage, you will see the kernel remnants in the middle screen and fiber changes in the various screens. Benchmarking your manure screens is a great approach because it will enable you to see what the rumen is doing and you can make ration adjustments quicker than if you use a paper-only approach.

While we are messing around with the manure, there is yet another tool that is underutilized, and that tool is fecal starch. Fecal starch testing is done at most commercial feed labs and can tell you a lot about kernel processing and starch digestion, so it can help you to confirm your CSPS scores and the level of starch digestion. Your goal should be to keep the fecal starch under 3 percent, even though you can commonly see the levels initially rise with new crop corn silage samples.

Aiding in the new crop silage transition

Some of the undigested corn can bypass the rumen and cause hindgut fermentation, which can lead to indigestion and rumen upset. The starch-digesting enzyme Amaize® and certain strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae can assist in breaking down starch and maintaining a proper rumen environment.

Additionally, we know that soluble protein and ammonia levels are at lower levels in fresh corn silage. Products that assist in adjusting the rumen degradable protein levels can help jumpstart the rumen microbial production and assist in starch and fiber digestion. Optigen® can help fuel the rumen in the absence of good new crop soluble protein and ammonia levels.

Don’t feed it, but if you must…

Ultimately, the best way to reduce the fall corn silage slump is not to feed it. It may be frustrating to receive that advice, but it remains true. Starch digestion is often slow, and new crop corn silage should be given three months to properly ferment. Obviously, the longer the fermentation, the better, but there should be a plan in place to have a few months’ carryover of your corn silage crop.

When we must feed fresh corn silages, the tools discussed above can help to reduce the corn silage slump. Ask your local Alltech representative for more information on how we can help you to reduce the new crop corn silage blues.

Not sure who your local Alltech representative is? Fill out the form below to learn more.

Every producer knows that when a beef cow is healthy, her calf has a much better chance of being healthy, too. Trace mineral nutrition is key for maintaining healthy cattle at all life stages. Colostrum quality, calf weight and immune function are among the many benefits from supplementing organic trace minerals in cattle. A study done in 2017 at the University of Florida and published in The Professional Animal Scientist evaluated the response of 160 Angus (AN) and Brangus (BN) cows and their calves to inorganic (ING) or organic (ORG) trace mineral sources.

About the study

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the difference in performance and benefits provided by feeding organic trace minerals versus inorganic trace minerals to cattle on pasture. Beef cows supplemented with organic trace minerals received cobalt, copper, manganese and zinc in the form of Bioplex^® and selenium in the form of Sel-Plex^®. Beef cows supplemented with inorganic trace mineral products received them as sulfates and sodium selenite, respectively.

The level of mineral supplementation also varied between treatment groups:

• In the pelleted feed, the organic trace mineral treatment included 25% less copper, 13% less manganese and 29% less zinc compared to the inorganic trace mineral treatment.
• In the free-choice mineral, the organic trace mineral treatment included 45% less copper, 32% less manganese and 46% less zinc than the inorganic trace mineral treatment.

The best mineral strategy for cattle is one that fits within the producer’s operation, based on their animal requirements and budget and the benefits provided from that mineral product. Organic trace minerals, such as Bioplex and Sel-Plex, are more bioavailable and, as a result, can be added at much lower inclusion rates than the traditional inorganic sources, which not only benefits the environment but, ultimately, the health, well-being, reproductive performance and growth of the animals as well.

Effects of trace mineral source on colostrum

The University of Florida trial revealed that colostrum from lactating cows supplemented with organic trace mineral supplement sources contained 29% more immunoglobulin M (IgM mg/dL) antibodies compared to cows supplemented with inorganic trace minerals (P= 0.07). Cows supplemented with the organic trace mineral sources Bioplex and Sel-Plex also demonstrated significantly higher levels of selenium measured in colostrum —and Angus cows specifically had twice as much selenium compared to their inorganic counterparts (P ≤ 0.001).

The study results also showed that the somatic cell counts (SCC) of the colostrum from Angus cows fed organic trace minerals were 67% lower than the SCC of the colostrum from cows fed inorganic trace minerals. Additionally, Brangus cows fed organic trace minerals had 14.6% lower SCC compared to cows fed inorganic trace minerals.

Effects of maternal mineral nutrition on calf weight and antibody levels

As the study progressed, the researchers at the University of Florida observed that calves from cows fed the organic trace mineral sources (Bioplex and Sel-Plex) showed a statistically significant increase in their average daily gains, weaning weights and 205-day adjusted body weights compared to calves fed inorganic trace mineral sources (P ≤ 0.01).

Calves from cows who were supplemented with Bioplex- and Sel-Plex- had 205-day adjusted body weights that were, on average, 22 pounds heavier compared to the weights of calves from cows that were provided with inorganic sources (P ≤ 0.01). Specifically, Angus calves supplemented with Bioplex and Sel-Plex minerals were 33 pounds heavier (205-day adjusted weaning weights) compared to calves from Angus cows supplemented with inorganic trace mineral sources.

The researchers also measured immunoglobulin levels and found that the immunoglobulin A (IgA mg/dL) antibody measurements for calves from cows supplemented with organic trace minerals Bioplex and Sel-Plex demonstrated a statistically significant (40.5%) increase in calf serum 24 hours after colostrum consumption compared to calves from cows provided with inorganic trace mineral sources (P = 0.04).

Bioplex^® offers a range of trace minerals that provide mineral nutrition in a form as close to nature as possible. Bioplex minerals are trace minerals that are bound to amino acids and a range of peptides. They are easily absorbed and readily metabolized, optimizing animal performance. Bioplex trace minerals (including zinc, manganese, copper, iron and cobalt*) are co-factors in the enzymes that are critical for the animal’s defense system, growth and reproduction. Learn more about Bioplex here.

Sel-Plex^® is Alltech’s proprietary organic form of selenium yeast. It is an excellent dietary source of selenium and is manufactured to mimic the selenium found in nature. The selenium in Sel-Plex is safer and better able to meet the higher requirements of livestock raised for rapid growth, reproductive performance and health. Learn more about Sel-Plex here.

I want to learn more about nutrition for my beef cattle.

WHAT: Join Dr. Roger Scaletti, Alltech mineral management program technical support and sales for North America, for a live webinar covering trace minerals, their role in livestock health and performance, and how they can be used to optimize herd health, udder health and reproduction. Scaletti will also discuss how to choose the right mineral and how form can play a substantial role in mineral retention.

Scaletti received his bachelor’s degree in animal science from Pennsylvania State University in 1995 and his Ph.D. in animal science from the University of Kentucky in 2003. He has traveled around the world to discuss mineral nutrition and mastitis.

WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017

2:00 p.m. ET

WHERE: Reserve a spot now via this link. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, you can register via the link to receive the recording.

OTHER: Scaletti’s presentation will be followed by a live question-and-answer session.

[DUNBOYNE, Ireland] – Dairy producers strive for long-term production and productivity with their herd, right from the start, and the pre-weaning growth of a dairy calf is a good indicator. While diarrhoea is one of the most common antagonists in issues with poor digestion and weight gain in calves, supplementing with Bio-Mos® has been shown to enhance performance and improve gut health.

A recent meta-analysis conducted by Dr. Anna Catharina Berge of Berge Veterinary Consulting BVBA concluded that Bio-Mos® supplementation in milk or milk replacer increased daily weight gain in dairy calves. These trials revealed, on average, 0.14 pounds improved weight gain per head per day in pre-weaned dairy calves, which corresponded to 8.37 pounds increased weight for calves weaned at two months of age. The long-term improved performance in heifers with improved pre-weaning growth would be equivalent to 220 pounds more milk in the first lactation, generating additional farm income, and improving gut health and digestive function.

“The results are a significant improvement in average daily weight gain,” said Aidan Connolly, chief innovation officer and vice president of corporate accounts at Alltech. “This improvement leads to greater returns for the producer through enhanced milk production, health and development, and long-term productivity.”

The meta-analysis included 23 cohort studies performed in the U.S.A., the United Kingdom, Brazil, Chile, the Czech Republic, India, Japan, Peru, Poland, Spain, and Turkey between 1993 and 2012. Bio-Mos was supplemented at 2–10 grams per day, with an average inclusion of 3.8 grams per day. Twenty-one of the studies reported an increase in daily weight gain for calves fed Bio-Mos in milk or milk replacer compared to control calves.

For more information on Bio-Mos, visit http://go.alltech.com/bio-mos.

[DUBLIN, Ireland] – As fossil fuels deplete at astounding rates, biogas production is fast becoming an alternative source of economic and renewable energy. Alltech’s new product, DIGEST P3, improves the profitability of anaerobic digestion by optimising biogas productivity. DIGEST P3 is an enzyme complex produced by the breakdown of organic matter through a process called solid state fermentation, with production similar to that of yeast fermentation. Since Alltech has nearly 40 years’ experience in the fermentation of yeast for both the animal health and brewing industries, biogas fermentation is a logical next chapter for the company. Through mastery of solid state fermentation techniques, Alltech can produce enzymes economically and pass this cost savings along to customers.

“This is exciting. This is why I love what I do,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech. “We have taken our expertise and decades of knowledge in fermentation and applied them to the development of DIGEST P3. Remember, efficiency on the farm is what we are experts in. Alltech is all about adding value and efficiency and bringing sustainable solutions to market. Dealing with waste, while at the same time producing renewable energy, is simply another way we are using innovative and ground-breaking technologies to solve our customers’ issues.”

DIGEST P3 works with methane-generating microflora to help break down feedstock components previously inaccessible through digestion. This enhanced feed breakdown allows for more readily available energy and protein for the microflora, resulting in additional biogas volumes from the same amount of feed input. DIGEST P3 allows for flexibility in feedstock formulation through the inclusion of byproducts and alternative raw materials.

“We are working with customers to optimise the flexibility offered by this technology,” said Niall Brennan, biogas project manager at Alltech. “We are seeing some customers reduce their feedstock inputs and maintain their gas outputs. It is very encouraging to see the range of benefits DIGEST P3 offers Alltech customers.”

Alltech has just completed a research trial with Harper Adams University in England to identify optimum performance-enhancing additives. The trial was run utilising DIGEST P3 in commercial plants across Europe. In the trial, DIGEST P3’s additional feed breakdown led to increased biogas production, reduced feed costs, reduced power consumption and uplifts in operating profit.

“Since implementing DIGEST P3, many of our customers have witnessed significant improvement in substrate efficiency,” said Brennan. “This allows our customers to decrease the amount of substrates they input each day, yet maintain a consistent energy output.”

For more information on DIGEST P3, please visit go.alltech.com/digest-p3 and stay connected through Twitter and Facebook.